PG&E Corp. cut power to about 2,000 homes and businesses in Northern California as triple-digit temperatures, strong winds and low humidity heightened the risk of wildfires.
The utility said it preemptively shut power across small areas of eight counties and one tribal community, according to a statement Tuesday morning on its website. PG&E said it had delayed the start of shutoffs for an additional 10,000 customers after weather conditions proved to be not as extreme as feared.
California’s biggest utility had warned of the potential outages as the state faces a period of high wildfire risk. The shutdowns come just as power demand surges to keep air conditioners running, with temperatures expected to top 100F (38C) across much of the Central Valley.
A series of deadly wildfires sparked by PG&E equipment forced the utility to file for Chapter 11 protection in 2019.
Top photo: Electrical transmission towers at a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) electrical substation during a heatwave in Vacaville, California, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. California narrowly avoided blackouts for a second successive day even as blistering temperatures pushed electricity demand to a record and stretched the state’s power grid close to its limits.
Topics California
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